Story and recipe submissions sought for Get That Horse Out of the Kitchen

“Get That Horse Out of the Kitchen!”

Sound like a cookbook you might want to add to your collection? Teri and Dani LeVine hope so, as the mother-daughter duo is compiling a story and cookbook under that title in hopes of funding a passion of theirs: horseback riding. Not for them, mind you — they are hoping to raise funds to provide scholarships for riding camps so others can experience the joys of horseback riding.

The women have founded Kids Can Ride, a nonprofit that will provide scholarships for riding schools and equestrian summer camps for children with a financial need. The scholarships will be available for several locations in Oregon and will enable young people to develop important skills such as responsibility, leadership, teamwork, confidence and goal setting and allow them to focus on a positive experience. Dani, who has ridden since she was 5 years old, gets a whole new lease on life when she is in the saddle.

“Riding is a therapeutic thing. It’s a character building experience. If I have trouble at home or school, riding helps,” Dani said. She hopes to involve more people in the sport for their benefit as well as to build the camaraderie she feels as a member of the Lake Oswego High School equestrian team.

The women have been collecting stories, poems, photographs and recipes from equestrians all over the state.

“Oregon’s history is rich with stories of great equestrians, and the story cookbook will preserve them for future generations,” said Teri. “Any horse lover may contribute their story or poem, photographs and recipe for the first volume of ‘Get That Horse Out of the Kitchen!’ Stories that tell of an inspiring mentor, parent or child. Stories of an equestrian event that changed their life. Stories of dreams that came true or are yet to be realized.”

Scholarships will be administered through Lake Oswego International Equestrian Center, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. LOIEC’s mission is to promote equestrian sports and develop young athletes through scholarship assistance.

“We believe horses change lives,” said Teri. “They impart to us a sense of the world beyond our daily routine and instill in us a great sense of responsibility for our actions and for an incredible animal. I feel honored to help build the Kids Can Ride program and can’t wait to see those happy faces. I’m hopeful that the program is so successful that we can expand the program to include scholarships to college-bound students to help defer college equestrian team expenses.”

Have a story you can contribute? Share it at EqStoriesAndRecipes.org or GetThatHorseOutoftheKitchen.org. You can also like them on facebook at facebook.com/GetThatHorseOutoftheKitchen, or call Teri at 503-557-1513. I bet you could even make a donation or pre-purchase a copy of “Get That Horse Out of the Kitchen!” for your collection. The release date is slated for the holiday season in 2012.

Following is a story and recipe that will be included in the book submitted by Sallie Cutler of Sherwood.

Bon appetit! Eat something wonderful!

Sept. 1, 1967

Camp Tamarack was my little piece of heaven, located near Camp Sherman, Oregon. I spent four wonderful summers there with my fun girlfriends and fabulous horses. I still remember the names of all the horses I rode, from Casper to Going Going Gone, to J.D. to a little bay named Half and Half.

Every summer I said to my mom and dad at the end of the session, “will you please buy __________ for me? I love him so much and can’t live without him!” Beg, beg, beg ... My dad always said, “Honey you are too small to get the saddle on by yourself and when you can, I’ll THINK about buying you a horse.” He probably thought he could get by with that excuse forever. My parents were NOT horse people.

Camp got out at the end of August each summer. My 13th birthday fell the day after camp was over in 1967. My mom and dad asked if I wanted to take a seven-mile drive to a farm on Rosemont Road (near) Lake Oswego that evening prior to my little birthday celebration. They told me they wanted to go see a friend’s horse who boarded there. So off we went in the old Ford station wagon to Lake Oswego.

When we got to the farm, which is currently known as Oswego Winery, it was a nice little farm, a bit dumpy but not bad. I wandered down the aisle by myself checking out all the cute horses, when I looked back and saw my parents talking to an old, old man. I just kept walking, wishing that I could own my own horse someday, too — preferably the one I left behind at Camp Tamarack the day before. His name was Half and Half, and I missed him soooo much!

The next thing I knew my dad called down the aisle to me and said, “Sallie, come here. Does this horse in the stall look familiar to you?” I walked down to where my dad, mom and the old, old man were standing. Oh, my gosh! I almost could not believe my eyes. It was Half and Half from Camp Tamarack!

“Happy birthday, honey! I think you are tall enough to get that saddle on now all by yourself.”

That was my best birthday ever. I’ll still never know how they paid for and had Half and Half delivered in less than 24 hours to Lake Oswego from Camp Sherman! Thank you, mom and dad. I love you both.

— Sallie Cutler,

Sherwood, Ore.

One of Sallie’s favorite family recipes:

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

1 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup packed golden brown sugar

5 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup pumpkin

2 eggs lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine flour and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter to make a crumb mixture. Stir in nuts.

Set aside 3/4 cup of the mixture for the topping. Press remaining mixture into the bottom of an 8-by-8-inch pan. Bake at 350º F oven for 15 minutes. Cool slightly.

Combine cream cheese, su-gar, pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, allspice and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend until smooth. Pour over the baked crust.

Sprinkle with reserved topping and bake an additional 30 to 35 minutes. Cool before cutting into bars of any size. Top with a drop of whipped cream for extra yummy calories.

Try not to eat the whole thing in one sitting!

— Sallie Cutler, Sherwood, Ore.

Randall welcomes your food questions and research suggestions. She can be reached at 503-636-1281, ext. 101, or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .